Cas Forms 2014

Piano Lessons

Swimming

As with many other sports I have learnt what my main weaknesses and strengths 

are. This sport is a very good activity that helps understanding where your limits are and how much you can push them to. Trainings are definitely showing me what I have to improve and being with a team I start to feel the pressure to improve as well because there is competition.

For the first time I have joined the swimming team, I have never had such an experience as I used to go to the pool only for fun or for swimming by myself, I never joined a competitive team. It really is going to be a new challenge as I have found out that most of the styles I did were not suitable for racing. I am learning how to go faster and everyday I am learning new skills. This is really satisfying.  

I have been going swimming every Tuesday early before school. For the moment I have not been able to go to any race due to school work, but I am planning on exercising and training enough for the race I will soon be in. I have started this activity as not being suitable for the team as I was too slow, now I can really see the improvements.

As I have already mentioned above many are the skills I have learnt through this period of time: from new swimming techniques, endurance and speed.

Red Cross

Since two months from now I have been going to the Red Cross in Zurich. There I am helping families that have just moved in the countries to have a better stay. Usually these families are from poor countries and are in need of money to start their new life here in Switzerland. My job in the association is to help the kids in these families to better adapt in the society and to make their stay more pleasant by spending a few hours with them, playing games, and speaking german. 

This activity is definitely one of the best ones I have ever undertook since the beginning of my CAS program. I definitely came to understand my weaknesses and strength with this activity. I used to think "How hard can it be to play with kids?" but now I know it is a true challenge as you have to make sure they are having fun and that they do not get bored. All those kids are really cleaver and they are not satisfied by random easy games. They look for the challenge and that makes the entire experience more interesting for me as well. I have been in contact with kids of many different ages (from 3 to 14) and I realized how I am a better helper when it comes to play with younger kids. It is harder because their attention on one thing last less, but the satisfaction is so great. Just seeing a smile on their face because of something you do or say can make my entire day.

This is a completely new "adventure" for me because I have never had the opportunity to work with people coming from these places and with such a different background. It really is an open minding experience that I'd recommend anyone to do.

I am also very proud of this activity, not only because it is new and different, but also because I was require to set an interview before being allowed to work for the Red Cross. I did not go through anyone to apply for this activity. I started to send emails to the bosses and to organize a date for a meeting day. It was really exciting and new for me. It is also important that I take the lead during this activities as I have to keep order within the group of 5 to 8 kids that are there.  

Being a collaborative person is essential because obviously not all the kids want to play the same game at the same time, therefore I have to be flexible and play a bit of everything. The most important thing is that the communication with the other helpers is constant. It is a great challenge as we do not always know each other, we are complete strangers to each other. For the moment I have to say I have found great people with which working is a pleasure and it is really easy to go along with. 

Considering that the activity takes place after school for two hours straight, and I get home late in the evening, plus there is school homework to complete I think that I have been very committed to this activity. I go there with regularity every 2 Mondays and the kids really benefit from this regularity. This is what we have been told by the parents, organizers and by the kids themselves. 

This activity brought me closer to issues of global importance as these kids all come from different parts of the world and they usually are not from rid families. They usually have experienced situations of war, poverty, and struggle so, as a helper, I have the big responsibility of helping them overcome their past through games (at least to the extent that it is possible to). Anyways I notice their happiness when we get to the place and how their moral changes from the beginning to the end.

It is important that we always think before we act and talk. Kids always remember what you do and how you do it. In this activity more than anything else, it is important that all our action are well thought because they have a great influence on the kids. They really look at us as their models and those who can help them. If we show them we are not bothered, tired, or unhappy this is definitely going to reflect on them as well. 

I am  sure that this activity made me develop new skills, from my German speaking skills, to making me a more responsible person and someone that cares about the population around her. I am really happy with this choice and I hope this activity can inspire other students as well. Young people are needed in these situation. It is far better for the kids to have a a young helpers than older ones. They feel more at ease.